An interesting email exchange I had with the leader of the ACRE campaign - read from the bottom up and enjoy!

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Douglas, I am MD of our company, I also work as a journalist - look me up, I have a wife 3 kids, 3 step kids six grandkids, one step grand kid, I am 65 tomorrow, and I have too much time on my hands??? I hope I acted as ACRE spokesperson for altruistic purposes because when we started ACRE it seemed our business here would benefit, being on an open road. It hasn't but that is not my reason for stating the views of many locals. Can't say more, off to Germany for three days in the morning. Peter

On 19 May 2009, at 12:14, Douglas Rogers wrote:

> Hi Peter,
>
> There are several points you bring up that need some reply
>
> Firstly - what was the purpose of the event
> - This was billed as an Etape, the idea is to ride the course to the best of your ability. As a keen cyclist that is what I wanted to do, and the many cyclists I talked to wanted to do the same. There was a wide range of ability, with people like myself that go out training several times a week to what might be described as the Sunday cyclists. A good time is had by cycling in company, and perhaps the start times could be staggered a bit more and the grading of riders improved slightly, but that would not remove the fact that cars on this circuit would be extremely dangerous, and would actually extend the time needed for the road closures. Many people came to ride here because it was safe, because there were no cars. This event has already become one of the premier event in the Sportive calender, with further encouragement it will become the challenge for the growing number of cyclists in this country.
>
> Secondly - was it imposed
> - The words you use are emotive, I don't doubt your sincerity but by being a mouthpiece for this organisation, brining your skills of communication, you have raised the tempo of feeling. The words I heard from people in the area was "small town mentality" and the cycling message boards talk of "white settlers". What you are achieving through this language is a polarisation between yourselves and the majority of people living in the area. The roads round our hose are closed sometimes - I could say "imposed by the council" but that would be disingenuous. We all live in a society that makes difficult decisions on the best course of action, and that sometimes disadvantages me as well.
>
> Should the 500 plus local people stay mum?
> - I don't live there but I can see how that figure is arrived at - a petition in the local shop and peoples conversation moaning about . However cycling through the area and being cheared along the route by so many locals was fantastic! Perhaps you should put out a new sheet in the local shops with a for and against option for everyone, and gauge the real opinion of the local people. Lets have a sense of proportion, I expect that your business had increased trade, and for most people a little bit of forethought would have resolved the problems of access.
>
> Peter, perhaps you have too much time on your hands and too much bitterness against authority - there is so much for the local community to gain by working with the council and cycling organisations, whereas the ACRE standpoint is poisoning that relationship.
>
> Douglas
>
> Peter Hounam wrote:
>> Hi Douglas, I do not want to get into a long debate but I wonder what you think of this point. According the Etape and the regulations by which the roads were closed, this was supposed to be a trial. In other such trials on open roads, the sheer madness of masses of cyclists heading down narrow roads is avoided because the riders start over a three hour period. The Etape event is started in a 45 minute period, encouraging racing. If it was elongated, it would be possible - we are advised by other trial organisers - to have it open roads, as they do. By the way, nothing we have done legitimises the actions of the idiot who dropped tacks. Are you saying that ACRE and the 500 plus local people who have tried to get this to be an open road event, should just have stayed mum after our council imposed this on our area?
>> Peter
>>
>>
>> On 19 May 2009, at 11:01, Douglas Rogers wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for your reply Peter,
>>>
>>> If you were out on Sunday you would realise that having cars on that road would be shear madness. The council has rightly closed the roads, to ensure a safe event - just as it closes the roads around my house when there is a running event etc. It is inevitable that with any decision, there are those that see themselves as winners and losers, it is a matter of limiting the impact not fighting the decision.
>>>
>>> The problem is that the ACRE front that has put so much effort into a minor point - a road closure for 3 hours on a Sunday - that it legitamizes the actions of those that believe that direct action is OK. As a journalist of long standing I would hope that you understand this, and work with the council to maximise your commercial gains from this event rather than legitimize its sabotage, with the inevitable effect on the whole community and Scotland's reputation.
>>>
>>> Douglas
>>>
>>> Peter Hounam wrote:
>>>> ACRE had nothing to do with what happened and utterly deplores it. I am sorry you had your day spoilt. We are not Nimbies nor anti-cyclist. We have offered to help run an open road event. Our beef it with the council for imposing this on the area and causing avoidable inconvenience to many people as well as financial loss to a significant number of people though not my own business. If you come to our coffee house in Grandtully some time I'll buy you a coffee.
>>>> Peter Hounam
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 18 May 2009, at 18:42, Douglas Rogers wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Dear Peter,
>>>>>
>>>>> Please send me a cheque for £54 to reimburse my entry fee for a race you and your NIMBY nutcases destroyed.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks
>>>>> Douglas
>>>>>
>>>>>

Getting involved in dialogue with this clown legitimises his self-appointed role as "spokesman" for an organisation that can raise only 500 signatures for something that people feel so strongly about.
I suspect the tack incident will marginalise his group further, even though he may well not have been involved

BBSB, completely agree. I am a local in the Aberfeldy area - my house access is directly on to the route.

ACRE is quite right that in the first year the event was imposed by P+K council against local wishes, and in that first year ACRE probably represented a good proportion if not the majority of local sentiment. The feeling was that we had the inconvenience but Pitlochry area gaining all the benefits.

However, since then local sentiment has changed completely. It is clear that the event brings huge benefits to the area both for the event weekend and during the rest of the year, so the roads being closed for half of one Sunday a year is trivial compared to the benefits.

I personally know no-one locally who is against it, and most of them are not cyclists. I also personally know people who locally run pubs, restaurants, deli's, a bookshop, B+B's and holiday cottages and can categorically state that they all believe the ETAP is hugely positive for business.

In summary Peter Hounan and ACRE were relevant 3 years ago but now represent a very tiny minority